Stumpys Ballroom is named for a swim-through that resembles The Ballroom at Bird Rock, Bicheno. The Marine Life Network guide rates the site 7 out of 10: sheltered granite reefs in 5-15 m with leatherjackets, sea sweep, banded morwong, long-snouted boarfish, Australian salmon and mackerel. The difficulty is the launch - soft sand at Stumpys Bay requires a 4WD - with Musselroe Bay as the alternative.

Stumpys Bay is part of Mount William National Park, known for Forester kangaroos and wombats on the grassy flats above the beaches, and the campsites make it a good base. Treat the depths, positions and conditions given here as a starting point, and confirm them with local divers and a depth sounder before committing to a dive.

The far north-east corner of Tasmania, from Eddystone Point to Cape Portland and Swan Island, is one of the most remote stretches of the state's coast. Roads north of St Helens and around Gladstone are partly gravel, the nearest shops are at Gladstone, Derby or Bridport, and there are no dive services at all. The Marine Life Network guide, written from the experience of Launceston divers, is still the only detailed published account of most of these sites.

Where Bass Strait meets the Tasman Sea around Cape Portland and the Swan Island group, tidal streams run hard, and the guide repeatedly stresses slack water, safety lines and experienced boat handlers for the wreck sites. The Royal Hobart Hospital chamber is five hours or more away by road, so any diving here should be conservative and planned with an evacuation route in mind.

Stumpys Bay is on the coast north of Eddystone Point in the Mount William National Park area, reached by gravel roads from Gladstone (about 30-40 minutes). The Marine Life Network guide describes a beach launch through soft sand at Stumpys Bay that needs a 4WD; the alternative is to launch at Musselroe Bay and run south along the coast. There are national park campsites at Stumpys Bay.

There are no marinas or fuel on this coast apart from the towns named, so carry spare fuel, a VHF radio and an EPIRB, leave a trip plan ashore, and check MAST boating advice; many north-coast ramps are shallow at low tide, and a 4WD tow vehicle is a real advantage.

Eddystone Point faces east into the Tasman Sea and is exposed to any easterly or north-easterly swell and the summer sea breeze. Westerly and south-westerly winds give the calmest conditions. After rough weather or plankton blooms visibility can be poor.

The reefs are described as sheltered, but the beach launch is impossible in surf. Use the Bureau of Meteorology coastal forecast for the North East Coast and Banks Strait, and check tide times for the nearest standard port before planning the run.

Drop on the reef at 5-8 m, find the swim-through and explore the granite reefs out to 15 m before returning. Turn the dive at half gas (thirds where current or overhead sections are involved), deploy an SMB before surfacing for the live-boat pick-up, and complete a 3-minute safety stop at about 5 m where depth allows.

No commercial operator. Dived occasionally by Launceston clubs and Tasmanian Divers (Launceston) groups, and by private boats and cray divers. Remote - full self-sufficiency required.